Amaya

  Our celebration had been a great success! It was a nice boost to morale and helped the friendship between demons and mortals along. Afterwards we focused heavily on rebuilding. We hired elven and dwarven construction crews to help out and speed things along. It was also a sneaky promotion of Petunia and hell. Any worker would spread word about what they had seen and hopefully the great time they had. I made sure to compensate everyone generously.

  Of course, a huge part of our future was still the train. I had given feedback and information I had from my old world to my people, now it was mostly in their hands to make it work. Our test run had been a success but there were certainly concerns remaining, like the protection from monsters.

  While things were looking bright in Petunia the world itself still had some problems though.

  "I have the newest reports." Iris stated in one of our meetings. "First, Josef is making progress to free people from their runes. He is working with Thessia and they are creating a divine ritual to break their slavery. However, it does not destroy the runes, it only achieves the same result as Amaya's Devour Magic."

  "It's a shame that we still haven't managed to undo the runes themselves but if we can at least break everyone free without my involvement it will be a big step." I noted.

  Iris nodded. "Yes, the ritual can be performed by any high level servant of Sylphania. We are not certain about other gods, as long as they do not object their own priests should be able to help as well. We are going to send the information to the former Empire. There are still people who need to be freed, even with the collapse of the Inquisition."

  "How is the former Empire doing?" Lucy asked.

  "That is the next topic. The north has stabilised somewhat but it does not have a clear ruler. Nobles manage their territories while the dwarves have a few troops in the area to keep the peace. The south is a different issue. Killing Ashmedai has helped a lot and our overall victory in hell has left the cult in disarray. However, they did a lot of damage before that. Most cities are damaged and the countryside has often been ravaged by the war. The oldest son of the former Emperor has tried to take control and fell in a battle and there is no clear ruler." Iris reported.

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  "What about the dwarven army?" I asked.

  "They have won. There is no longer any real opposition, the Inquisition has scattered and the remaining imperial army has surrendered. However, the dwarves have no intention of occupying the land. Orcs have started raids from the wastes, food is in short supply and most areas have lost their lords. There is currently no clear leader, or any form of stable government in the region." Iris added.

  I winced. "That sounds horrible."

  Iris continued: "Beravis is sending some ships through the river past Iron Rock. With our interest in the city they have not dared to make a play for it but they are getting a foothold on the eastern part of the lake inside the former Empire. It seems like they want to claim a small fertile part while avoiding the more troubled regions. A part of the Inquisition might have survived inside Beravis but it is unclear who is in charge now. They no longer have any fey or demonic support as far as we know."

  "So, what are the dwarves doing?" I asked.

  "They have retreated to the north. They took some casualties after we left, mostly due to the demons and their cult. Now they are securing the north while bringing most of their troops back home."

  "Is there something we can do to help?" I wondered.

  "We do not have the troops to secure such a big region. We could help with food but we would not have a great way to distribute it. Without a stable government we would have to ensure ourselves that it is not stolen, or hoarded, by some. We could send Shani to the wastes, I guess she could reduce the orc raids by quite a bit." Iris suggested.

  "Shani would enjoy that, I think. It would certainly give her something to slaughter." I mused. "But she would not be a great choice to deliver food, or other aid."

  There was always the option of me going but I honestly wanted to finally marry Lucy and settle down a bit. There would always be a problem somewhere in the world. Of course, we had been a big part in the fall of the Empire, so I felt some responsibility to help the people recover.

  "Kira can fly rather fast, she could certainly bring supplies inside a magical storage. I am not sure how she would handle distribution, or if there are any local leaders we would want to support. Our reports are not detailed enough for that." Iris suggested.

  "What about Lilith's succubi? Maybe some of them would be willing to go, they are rather durable and could help us keep the order." I suggested.

  "I believe the region is not very friendly towards demons, because of the cult. Succubi might provoke some incidents." Iris warned.

  "They can shapeshift." I pointed out.

  "True." Iris agreed. "Do you want me to ask Lilith?"

  "Hm. If we send Shani to secure the border to the wastes and Kira brings some supplies we can get better information while stopping the worst problems. Maybe Lilith can send in some spies and influence politics for a more stable outcome." I suggested.

  Iris nodded. "I will make arrangements."

  Having reliable people I could send out certainly made life simpler. And it would allow me to focus on my own projects. Maybe I would visit the south, depending on Kira's report but I had earned myself a break, for now.